If the quotes attributed to you in this article are accurate, you must think we are stupid. You also believe you can bloviate about acceptable standards of school security, the effectiveness of metal detection devices, what constitutes an imminent threat, the adequateness of your parental notification system, etc etc etc. And believe for a minute you will not be called out for it.

Where to begin? I am a parent of a child in your school system and a retired Law Enforcement Executive. I know a fair amount about the threats posed to schools, acceptable security measures, and how to apply those measures based on differing threat environments present at each school.

Let's use my child's school as an example. The only thing standing between those children and harm is a three foot chain link gate and a sign telling "harm" to check in at the office. But thankfully after exhaustive analysis, you have determined we have built our schools in nice neighborhoods, in nice cities, in a nice county where nothing BAD ever happens, you have the luxury of doing little to reasonably secure access to our children while they are in your temporary care. Sir you have never been more wrong about anything else, than you are in what you have learned from this incident.

When was your last fire drill? Recently, I would say. When was your last active shooter drill? Never I say. Sounds odd doesn't it? When you put it that way. I know the Sheriff's Office and police agencies in our county are practicing such drills, but as was demonstrated here your staff needs to drill also.

Now the fallacy you put forth about "airsoft guns" and metal detectors. Sir everyone knows these weapons are made of metal, they are advertised as such and metal as small as a nickel can be detected by a metal detector. But apparently you already knew that, unless the one you are quoted as holding was made of that rare heavy plastic known as unobtainium.

Finally, as it relates to our children, their backpacks, and your perceived inconvenience of metal detectors. Sir there is no need to search every backpack of every child every day. Randomly check a dozen or so each day and that will suffice for now, for the young kids. But at the middle and high schools the time has come for enhanced security. That means a combination of security enhancements, everything from entry design up to metal detectors and security officers. I, no, we only ask for a well thought out, blended approach that after much public debate is agreed upon by parents and the school system.

Think about this, kids will act they way they see adults act. We adults grumble about airport security, but begrudgingly we all pass through security to get where we need to go. Schools should be no different.

ps, tighten up the parental notification issue. Seriously, we should have known about it before the Key West Citizen. No Offense meant to the Citizen, y'all do great work.